I loved my Hebrew classes in seminary. It was exciting to take the original biblical text and translate it, finding the most accurate translation of a passage that provided deeper meaning to a word or theological concept. The difficult part was pushing aside my preconceived notions. I had to forget about the words or concepts I had learned in Sunday school and focus on thinking about the words in front of me. It wasn’t easy.

One of my favorite passages to translate was Psalm 23. Most of us have read this passage in many translations, and they are all inspiring. But a deeper meaning behind the text finally hit me one day. Here’s how we translated the verse we know as “Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life”: “I am certain that God’s covenant love will chase after me forever.” The “covenant love” that God made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will run after me, desperately trying to catch up to me, every day for the rest of my life. In the pastoral setting of the psalmist, where enemies like wolves and lions chased after a shepherd, it was God’s loving kindness that desperately wanted to catch him.

I realize I am fortunate in that if I want to find a deeper meaning behind a passage, all I have to do is brush off the cobwebs from my Hebrew or Greek textbooks, grab my lexicons, and relearn how to translate these languages into English. I even know some people who don’t have to brush off the cobwebs. They simply open their Hebrew Old Testament or Greek New Testament and start translating. This works for them, but it can’t work for everybody. Fortunately, distinguished Hebrew and Greek scholars translated the ancient texts into English (a task for which we are all grateful).

Today’s market offers a plethora of Bible translations: King James Version, New King James Version, New International Version, Revised Standard Version, New Revised Standard Version, New American Standard Bible, Living Bible, New Living Bible, Contemporary English Version, and on and on and on. Not only can you get the text, but you can get study Bibles; Women’s, Men’s, Teens, or Couples Devotional Bibles; bonded or genuine leather. The list seems inexhaustible.

Among these choices, which one is the best? Well, that depends. Each translation is written on a different reading level. For example, the King James Version is written on a twelfth grade reading level, the New Revised Standard Version on an eleventh grade level, the New International Version on a seventh grade level, and the Contemporary English Version on a fourth grade level. Therefore, a second grader would likely have a difficult time understanding the New Revised Standard Version, while an adult might read it with ease.

Secondly, these are not all word-for-word translations. The New Revised Standard Version is a close reading of the ancient text, while the New International Version is more of a paraphrase of the general concept behind the ancient text.

Additionally, each translation follows different ancient sources. The New American Standard Bible uses the Greek Septuagint, an ancient version of the Old Testament that was translated over hundreds of years by Jewish scholars before the time of Christ. On the other hand, the New Revised Standard Version focuses on the Hebrew Masoretic text, a document begun after the resurrection of Christ and continued over the next several hundred years. Therefore, the New American Standard Version is a more accurate translation of the New Testament, while the New Revised Standard Version is a better translation of the Old Testament.

Furthermore, older translations did not have access to the Dead Sea Scrolls, a monumental find in the biblical world. Documents written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek—the

original languages of the Bible—were found in the region of Qumran, a short drive from Jerusalem. More than 900 documents, some in their entirety, were found hidden within ancient pottery. With this archaeological wonder, scholars accessed the documents closest to the originals themselves. Therefore, translations made after 1956 can utilize documents copied only 200 years after the life and ministry of Christ.

In the end, the best way to choose a Bible is to do your homework and decide what will work best for you. Think about these questions: How closely does the translation follow the ancient text? How many people were on the translation team? Who is going to use it? Is it for Bible study or a gift? Make an informed decision and be aware of the characteristics of your chosen translation. You will be grateful for your hard work and will cherish your carefully chosen Bible.

Karen Pennings is an editor for FaithSteps.